By Katie Mitchell
Executive Sports Editor
Junior Andrew Lovegren has devoted his childhood to hockey, is looking forward to continuing to skate on the ice.
Before fully committing to hockey, Lovegren rode dirt bikes and played three years of competitive soccer for AYSO and Sand & Surf. When he was 13 years old, Lovegren decided to sign up for hockey, and immediately fell in love with the sport. He began learning the sport by participating in a “Learn to Play Hockey” class, which was held on a rink twice a week for eight weeks. During this class, coaches taught him the fundamentals and rules of hockey. Lovegren also practiced shooting and skating in his backyard on rollerblades.
“I was over at my friends house, and his dad had the Kings game on,” Lovegren said. “I was so mesmerized by how they skated, [so] I signed up for hockey immediately.”
Lovegren is currently a member of two separate hockey teams. In the High School League, he plays for the El Segundo Strikers. Competitively, he plays for a travel team called the California Wave. He is on the ice four to five times a week where he works on conditioning and scrimmaging with his team.
“The first thing going through your head when it comes to training “…has to be ‘today I will do what other people won’t, so tomorrow I can do what others can’t,”’ Lovegren said. “You also have to remember that you should never let success get to your head, but you should also never let failure get to your heart!”
According to Lovegren, the most challenging part of competitive hockey is skating. Though perfecting his skating was a tough challenge to overcome, according to Lovegren, the adrenaline rush of scoring and the brotherhood formed from being on the team makes the sport very rewarding.
“There is no better feeling than going out to do something you love with a group of guys who you know have your back,” Lovegren said. “I have made lifelong friends in my teammates and my coaches.”
At only 16 years old, Lovegren has traveled to various places in Canada and the United States for hockey tournaments. In 2019, Lovegren and his team won an International Championship in Los Vegas, Nevada, where they beat seven other teams to win the title. Additionally, his team has won many invitational and local tournaments as well.
“I have visited a lot of places that I would have never imagined visiting,” Lovegren said. “I have also made new friends and I’ve been able to develop myself mentally.”
As of now, Lovegren is planning to continue playing hockey in the United States while he completes his junior year at Costa. During his senior year, he is hoping to travel to Sweden to further pursue hockey and education. He would like to continue hockey throughout and after college in either the United States or Europe, but nothing is set in stone yet.
“Hockey has developed me as a person,” Lovegren said. “It has impacted my life and has opened up opportunities that I may not have gotten without it.”
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